Saturday, May 4, 1974, remains an unfortunate date for Newcastle fans. On that day nearly 51 years ago, the Magpies suffered a 3-0 hammering by Liverpool in the FA Cup final.
It was Newcastle’s first-ever cup final defeat at Wembley following six wins in the 1909-1910, 1923-1924, 1931-1932, 1950-1951, 1951-1952 and 1954-1955 FA Cup finals.
Since that Liverpool defeat, the team from the North-East of England has suffered six other losses at Wembley – the 1976 League Cup (2-1 to Manchester City), 1996 FA Cup (4-0 to Manchester United), 1998 Charity Shield (2-0 to Arsenal), 1999 FA Cup (2-0 to Manchester United), 2000 FA Cup semifinal (2-1 to Chelsea), and 2023 League Cup final (2-0 to Manchester United).
Tomorrow, at 12.30am Malaysian time, Newcastle will face Liverpool in the League Cup final, hoping to end its Wembley curse.
The fortunes of the two clubs since 1974 couldn’t be more different. Newcastle’s only ‘major’ trophy is the now-defunct Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1969. Although it won the Intertoto Cup in 2007, that was a qualifier for the UEFA Cup. The Intertoto and UEFA Cup have since been replaced by the Europa League.
Fuelled by the FA Cup win, Liverpool went on to win six European Cups/Champions League trophies, one FIFA Club World Cup, four UEFA Super Cups, six FA Cups, 10 League Cups, and 11 league titles, with a 12th almost certain this season. It also has 12 Charity/Community Shield wins to its name.
This year’s League Cup final – known as the Carabao Cup due to sponsorship reasons – is an opportunity for Newcastle manager Eddie Howe and Liverpool boss Arend Martijn ‘Arne’ Slot to win their first trophy in the English game.
Howe will be without four players for the crunch match. Centreback Sven Botman and leftback Lewis Hall have been ruled out with season-ending injuries. Club captain Jamaal Lascelles has been out for nearly a year and is unlikely to return this season.
Anthony Gordon, who nearly left Newcastle for Liverpool in the summer, will miss the game due to suspension.
The good news is that top scorer Alexander Isak has returned from injury at the right time. He missed the 2-0 defeat to Liverpool last month.
He is Newcastle’s best chance to end its winless streak against Liverpool, which now stands at 12 defeats and five draws since 2015.
Liverpool will be without rightbacks Trent Alexander-Arnold and Connor Bradley for the final, while centreback Joe Gomez, who can play there, is also ruled out. Midfielder Tyler Morton is also injured.
It means fourth-choice defender Jarrel Quansah, primarily a centreback, is likely to start the final at rightback.
French international Ibrahima Konate is expected to be back at the heart of Liverpool’s defence after an injury scare in midweek.
